Tuesday Training Byte: Teach your dog not to rush the door or gate.

A dog that rushes the door (or gate) is not only exhibiting bad manners, it can turn harmful. In earning a Virtual Home Manners title through AKC, door manners is part of the test. Since 1986, I have always owned several dogs at a time. Whether I am opening the door from the house to the yard, out front, or the gate, I teach my dogs to only come through when I call their name. I can tell you that it is dangerous to have a big dog knock you over in their rush through the opening! Counter-conditioning is a process, but with big payoffs.

Start with just one dog. Be sure to have treats in your hand our treat pouch at the ready. Tell your dog to "wait" or some other clear command (just be sure that you are not using wait for something else). As you put your hand on the door, toss a few treats just behind or to the side of your dog. As he is eating, open the door a couple of inches and shut it again. Make sure you are standing in a position to block any attempt by your dog to bolt. Repeat this three or so times. Now do it again while you stand to the side of the door and open it about a foot and then close it, while you tell the dog to wait and toss treats his direction or away from the door. After a couple of repetitions, you should be able to stand there and "fan" the door open and closed without your dog attempting to head through it. The next day put your dog on a leash and repeat the process. After a couple of tries, tell your dog to wait while you step through the door backwards so you can thwart any attempts to bolt again, then step back inside. After a few minutes, tell your dog, "Bella, out" and let her go through the dog while you hold her leash. You can now make sure your dog can generalize this task to the yard gate and the car door, so that when you open either, she will remain in place until you call her name and command, out. My vet's office is on a busy road, so when I arrive at the clinic, I want my dog to wait in my vehicle while I snap on the leash and then call my dog out. After I get the leash snapped on, I mark the good behavior with "Yes!, good wait" and then give my dog a treat before he hops out. Being able to know you can walk in and out of the open yard gate a few times and the dogs will remain in the yard, can really make life easier and more safe for everyone. Also a helpful behavior when I am carrying in multiple loads of groceries. Happy training!